St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-04-09
w. G. KENTZEL, Editor.


but as it was to sketch this species ant
the ivory-bill that l had visited tn.
place. was not long in locating them
1t would be OF some interest, perhaps
| If should describe some of the almost
comical difficulties that arise in sketch.
ing wild birds. but Just now let me record
few well-established but little known
facts of bird-life. some of which the
days work in question gave me the
chance to observe and verify. Never
before had / such undisturbed Oppor.
tunity tn make notes upon the sense Of
hearing in the wOodpecker. The huge
birds allowed me to creep to within
twenty feet Of them and observe them
from the partial cover of a small bush.
They were. on the side Of the log, and
their method was to gi,s the dry sur
face of the wood smart N!ow or two
with their beaks, after which ti:sy would
listen for moment very intentls. hold
ing their beaks meanwhile in coiSsct
with the log. No doubt this conta~
was great aid to hearing, the mandi-
bles conducting the sound of the mov-
ing insects to the ears of the listeners.
l became quite satisfied for the first
time that birds of this family depend
more upon the sense of hearing than
upon that of smelling in locating their
prey.
There is nothing like sketching to
fasten in ones memory the motions, at
titudes and minor habits of birds. II
You are hastily penciling in the out
lines Of your wild model. and just at
the critical moment he changes his
position in order to accommodate q
habit. you are sure to recollect it ever
after. So it is by means of the same
species that you fix in your mind GER
tain peculiar traits of its nature not
manifest to the casual observer.
Sketches. no matter how crude, so that
they are true in effect and made from
the living wild bird. are in themselves
the best possible notes of observation.
For instance. a mere scratchy outline
"a "ytosV""Ss Win HIS Uill IcStIuS
against the wood he has been drum
ming, and his whole attitude indicating
the most intense listening. is better
than any amount of descriptive writing
as reminder. But there are many
bird actions, obscurely indicative of
deep-seated. hereditary habit. which
can not be embodied in a sketch. The
peculiar, snake-like darting of the
woodpecker's tongue. for example, is
such an action. watched one of the
birds peck deep hole into the log un-
til he reached saw-wOrm. Instantly
he thrust out his slender tongue to u
great length and speared the prey with
it. The motion was peculiarly reptilian.
This habit Of capturing insects with the
tongue is exemplitied to perfection in
tho common toad. which is amazingly
expert in the performance. The tOad's
tongue is loose ut the rear. however.
and is turned over to be thrown for
ward. while the woodpccker's is pre-
hensile, like an adtler's. This suggests
the fact that birds and reptiles are Of
kin, a fact beautifully demonstrated by
Huxley. Take the eyes If the two and
compare them and, moi only do they
look alike. they possess peculiar menu
bers in common. Reptiles and birds
are the only animals having the nicti-
fating membrane-a fimy. skin-like
substance which may be drawn at will
over the front Of the eye. To me this
method If winking has always appeared
lemoniac to a degree. No bird has
warm and loving eye. and most of the
wild species glare at you with
! look positively evil. M course this
is not noticeable except ON
lose observation. often use a strong
glass, and am by this means
.nabled to make very minute examina-
ion of birds without at all disturbing
hem.
Naturalists have often remarked upon
he singularly CONSTRUCTED neck of the
and the development of the
hOulder muscles in most of the Species.
mt I have seen no adequate description
t the manner in which these birds use
heir strong wedge-shaped bills in peck
ng. Ordinarily the performance is a
mere hammer-like pounding. in which
he neck y the chief motor; but when
he wood is very hard and the blows
must have great force, tho bird stiffens
s entire vertebral column and makes
IS strokes with all the strength Of its
ntire body. In this way a pileated
or its larger brother. the
rory-bill, will actually chiscl deep holes !
Ito the toughest green wood. and the
Dund of the strokes can be heard for a
ing way in still forest. Ionce took
of q deserted cabin in South
IN Georgia. Early one morning I was
wakencd by loud pounding on the
alf-rottcn roof, and the first thing I
NV on opening my eyes was the red
rest and glimmering beak Of an ivory
lied woOdpecker. He had made
ide rift in the roof, and was giving
le . most fiendish gaze, accompanied
Y q harsh. rafting cry. that went
,hoing away like the laugh Of an evil
brit Maurice 1SOnspson, IN Chicago
lines.
"A new method Of securing veneer
, its base consists in spreading glue or
ther adhesive matter between the
eneer aud the base, passing the two